BLACKSTAR DEPT. 10 DUAL DRIVE

Using valves in drive pedals ought to be a no‑brainer, but some makers fail to deliver on the promise of that burning bottle inside. Blackstar had no such difficulties with its sleek Dept. 10 Dual Drive, creating an all‑in‑one gainstation and valve‑powered DAW interface in a great‑ looking package – and at a very attainable price. The key to the girthy tube tones here is an ECC83 triode valve running at 200 volts inside the Dual Drive, which Blackstar harnesses to a raft of 21st century functionality. The pedal boasts Blackstar’s Cab Rig DSP speaker simulation with three different simulations on tap at any one time (alternative cabs can be loaded via Blackstar’s Architect app), which permits you to record great tone direct from the pedal. There’s also a TRS stereo output for practice sessions with headphones on, plus a full‑on XLR output for connecting to a mixing desk, and a USB port for computer‑ based recording. There’s even an effects loop so you can insert modulation or other pedals directly into the pedal’s internal signal path. Flexible, functional yet sharply executed, this is not the shape of things to come but the kind of progressive, empowering drive design we deserve in 2021.